Piracy, be it of movies, TV shows, or video games, is never going to disappear. But that won't stop companies retaliating against pirates for illegally downloading and enjoying their content for free. The latest example of this is Nintendo's response to 3DS owners caught playing pirate copies of Pokemon Sun or Pokemon Moon.
Copies of both games leaked earlier this month, with details first appearing via 4chan on November 7. Inevitably, those copies have spread and Nintendo is taking action. It's the kind of action that will make gamers regret they ever considered downloading an illegal copy.
According to Kotaku, any 3DS Nintendo detects playing a pirate copy of Pokemon Sun or Moon will be banned from accessing the Nintendo Online Network. That means access to any digital games purchased is gone, so is access to the eShop to purchase new games. The ban effectively renders a 3DS an offline device for gaming.
The ban is potentially even more serious when you consider Nintendo links each player account to a device. So if you purchase a new 3DS, for example, you need to go through a transfer process to move the account to access your games. As a result, buying a new 3DS may not get around the ban meaning these pirates could be locked out of their Nintendo accounts permanently.
According to Eurogamer, Nintendo will swap game licenses to a new 3DS, but you need to phone Nintendo Support and provide serial numbers.
The trigger for being banned is opting to go online while playing a pirate copy of the game. Anyone who is only playing offline can't be detected, but if you value your Nintendo account and all the digital games purchased using it, the best advice is to remove the illegal copy from your handheld as soon as possible.
For everyone not willing to risk downloading pirate games, the wait for Pokemon Sun and Moon is nearly over. Both games launch on November 18 and will be complimented by a limited edition New 3DS XL Solgaleo Lunala, which may now be an enticing purchase for some pirates.